An in-depth look at the many components of supported self-management in the Winter issue of Primary Care Respiratory Update could make you think differently about the time you spend with people who have long term conditions.

A range of articles looking at the issue from different perspectives consider how we can more effectively collaborate with patients to be able to offer holistic, person focused care within the often overwhelming confines of our healthcare system.

Noel Baxter, PCRS-UK Chair, sets the scene by explaining how his beliefs have been challenged by Stephanie Taylor, co-author of a feature article on supported self-management. ‘We have to be the first to change to enable meaningful supported self-management to become the routine. Appointment lengths and structural organisational changes will take more time,’ he says.

The articles include:

A feature article by Stephanie Taylor, Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London and Hilary Pinnock, Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research, University of Edinburgh, which describes supported self-management as a process rather than an event and as a shared activity which is the responsibility of all involved.

Reflections of the Lay Reference Group which provides an insight into self-management from the patient’s perspective.